Castle High's After School Horror

Bob is angry and scared. His fear seems to fuel his fury as he leans over and grabs Mikey's arm, pulling him forward. Mikey lets out a yell as his back falls to the ground. Bob lifts Mikey's arm, staring at the raw flesh that had been burned away by the acid's mist. He grabs the damaged flesh, which makes Mikey scream.

"Stop!" Bonnie yells. Gerard stays silent. He looks away and pretends not to notice what’s happening.

"Get off!" Mikey screams, trying to pull his arm away. This only makes it worse. Mikey screams as tears roll down his face.

Bob smiles. Seeing Mikey in pain eases his own pain. Knowing that he can cause someone else pain gives him a sense of control. He isn't the only one that has to cower before someone stronger than him.

"Bob…" Mikey sobs.

Bob realizes that Mikey is bleeding and pulls away, reclaiming his seat near Bonnie. She keeps a safe distance from him.

"This is how you cope," Mikey states, looking at his bleeding arm. He reaches into his pocket and takes out his Orbit. He sticks a piece into his mouth. "Making other people suffer..." Mikey chomps angrily on his gum.

"And that's how you cope," Bob says, crossing his arms. "Chewing on strawberry mint Orbit."

"Gum is better than making someone smaller than you bleed."

"Can I have a piece?" Chelsea says, speaking for the first time. Everyone looks at her. She's drained of color and her expressions is completely lost. Mikey throws her a piece of Orbit and sticks the pack back into his pocket. He rolls himself into a ball again.

Bob sighs, feeling slightly guilty for hurting Mikey. He wanted to hurt Mikey but make him bleed? That's just too much. Everyone seems to have given up so they sit silently, unmoving. As the silence ensues, Bob's thoughts consume him. He wonders what happens after death. He wonders who's doing this and why. He wonders where the person is right now. If he can see them. If he is amused by what he's done. What is he thinking?

What is he thinking? There's no way to know...

Oh, wait. Yes there is.

Bob looks up at Mikey. Wouldn't Mikey know what the killer is thinking? Couldn't Mikey figure out a way to use that strange mind reading ability to help?

But he hadn't. Or had he? Had he…helped someone he shouldn’t have?

"Hey, Mikey," Bob says. Mikey doesn't move.

"Leave me alone," Mikey moans.

"Are you protecting the killer?"

Bob is so sure of what he's thinking. He knows he just wants to be able to accuse Mikey just like Mikey had accused him but he is sure of what he's thinking. He can't be wrong. It just makes sense.

"What?" Mikey spits. There's more anger in his voice than surprise. Bob's head aches. He rubs his temples.

"Get out of my head!" Mikey stops glaring at Bob and his eyes go wide. Bob's head stops hurting.

"I can't believe you think that," Mikey whispers.

"It's true, though, isn't it?" Bob says. He's more scared and angry than he'd been all night. "You know what he's thinking so...you know where he is, what he's planning...you've known all along and never did anything to stop it or-"

"Shut up," Mikey says, eyes dark. He reaches his hand up to the lockers behind him and stands up slowly, not taking his eyes off of Bob. "Just shut your fucking mouth."

"Is it true?" Gerard says, looking up at his brother quizzically. Mikey flinches. He closes his eyes for a moment. Bob holds his breath.

A second later, Mikey starts down the hall.

Bob takes a second to react, too flabbergasted to completely understand what is happening. He gets up and chases after Mikey. Though Mikey is weaker than Bob, he seems to be just as fast as Bob can't catch up to him.

"Slow down, you fucking coward!" Bob yells breathlessly. Mikey stops when he reaches an exit and turns, raising a hand up to Bob.

"I'm the coward?" Mikey says, the fear and sadness in his features melting away. "You beat up kids half your size, asshole."

Mikey's lips curl up into a wicked smile that makes Bob stop in his run, staring at Mikey with wide eyes.

"You really do have something to do with what's been going on," Bob says. He hears footsteps stop behind him.

Everyone is frozen to their spot.

"Duh," Mikey says. He rolls his eyes. "I can't believe you're the one that figured it out. I mean, really." Mikey chuckles. "You're all such idiots."

Bob hears Chelsea whimper. He looks to his right and sees that she and Bonnie are holding each other the way that Bonnie and Mace used to. Bob shudders. To his left, Gerard takes a step forward and Mikey raises his hand again.

"Whoa there, not too close," Mikey says, sounding as if he's telling a joke. His amusement makes Bob angry. "I might just pull out a gun and shoot you."

"What the fuck did you do?" Gerard spits, his chest rising and falling quickly. "You got people killed! You...could've helped, you could've prevented this from happening!"

Mikey stares at Gerard incredulously. "Maybe...I wanted it to happen."

Bob shakes his head, fists clenching. Now that he knows, he doesn't want it to be true. He wishes he'd thought wrong. That his imagination hadn't put the pieces together and realized -

"Ah, but it's too late now, isn't it, Bryar?" Mikey spits. He raises his hands to the ceiling. "I've been exposed."

Everyone seems to be holding their breath. No one moves or makes a sound. Mikey detaches his back from the staircase door and starts walking backward down the hall, keeping his eyes on his four fearful classmates.

"I mean, there's a lot more to it than simply...I 'protected' the murderer," Mikey starts thoughtfully. "A whole lot. I'm not just her friend."

"Her?" Bonnie mutters.

"I don't get why you all automatically assumed it was a dude." Mikey laughs.

"How much more to it?" Gerard asks softly, obviously not wanting to know the answer.

Bob, Bonnie, Chelsea and Gerard get unstuck from their spots. They all turn into the hall that Mikey's walking down. Bob’s shaking, wanting so badly to hurt Mikey but too frightened to. Mikey grins, taking big backward steps to increase the distance between them.

"A lot," Mikey says. "But let me try to squeeze it down to one sentence, hmm..."

Mikey stops moving. Out of fear, so does everyone else. Mikey taps his chin with a finger, looking away thoughtfully. He points a finger to the ceiling, having an aha! moment.

"I know!" he says. He grins at everyone maniacally, taking another huge step back. "The murderer is my puppet."